Multi-unit relay assembly



Feb. 28,1961 N. E. s'rERBERG 2,973,416

MULTI-UNIT RELAY ASSEMBLY Filed Sept. 25, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Br www Hrr'oR/vsrs Feb. 28, 1961 N. E. sTl-:RBERG 2,973,416

MULTI-UNIT RELAY ASSEMBLY Filed Sept. 25, 1956 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 /QrroRA/s/J E eb. 28, 1961 N. E. sTERBERG 2,973,416

MULTI-UNIT RELAY ASSEMBLY Filed Sept. 25. 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 United States Patent-O MULTI-UNIT RELAY ASSEMBLY Nils Erik Osterberg, deceased, late of Enskede, Stockholm, Sweden, by Daga Eufemia Osterberg, heir and guardian of minor heir, Enskede, Sweden, assignor to Telefonaktiebolaget L M Ericsson, Stockholm, Sweden, a corporation of Sweden Filed sept. 25, 1956, ser. No. 653,507

Claims priority, application Sweden Sept. 27, 1955 12 claims. (cl. zoo- 104) The present invention refers to electromagnetic relays, particularly telephone relays which are structurally combined into a relay assembly by means of a yoke which Lis common to a number of relays and which is, at its back, bent in angle. Said yoke supports an iron core for each relay. v

lA common yoke is used both for reducing the costs and for holding the relays together in the relay assembly. All parts individual to the relays are then arranged on the common yoke. From the English Patent 355,667 it is also known to let the iron cores of the relays form a unit with the yoke. For space reasons it is, however, more advantageous to attach the relay cores individually to the yoke.

The saving obtained by the use of a common yoke is mainly obtained by the fact that certain manufactruing .operations can be performed at the same time for all relays forinstance making holes for fixing spring sets and iron cores. Also the welding of the iron cores to the yoke, the boring and the knocking of pins for relay armatures etc. can be made at the same time for all relays in particularly constructed machines. Such machines will, however, be expensive and too complicated for certain operations. The object of the present invention is to obtain the desirable consolidation of the manufacturing operations which are the same for all the relays by arranging common details which are easy to make for the holding of the individually detachable parts of the relays such as the armature, the spring sets and the coil holder which supports the windings of the relay. This is achieved by strips common to the relays, said strips being made of metal bands attached to the yoke and having cut tongues and bendings-for each relay, said individually detachable parts being held by'said metal bands.

The invention will beadescribed more in detail with reference to the attached drawings, Figs. l-4.

' Fig. Il shows howHthe-coil frames are held in a relay assembly with threerelays.

Fig. 2 shows theembodimentr of theback flange of a coil.

Fig. 3 shows how the relay armatures are attached.

Fig. 4 shows how the spring sets are attached.

In Fig. l, 1 is a yoke common to three relays, the back part of which has been bent in a right angle. The yoke 1 supports three iron cores 2 which are welded to the part of the yoke which is bent in angle. A coil frame 3 is loosely fitted upon each iron core. On the bobbin there is a winding 3a, the resistance and number of revolutions of which may be chosen individually for each relay, and, therefore, the coil frame should be individually detachable so that it can easily be changed. The back ange 3b l of the frame rests against the part of the yoke which is bent in angle and is made as a terminal block with soldering tags 3c. The back iiange 3b is shown in Fig. 2 and is provided with a through-going hole 3e for the iron core 2, a projecting part with a plane 3d cut obliquely and a cut in one side forming another plane 3f cut obliquely.

Patented Feb. 28, 1961 ICC For the holding of the frames 3 there is a strip 4 common to all relays which is made of a metal band with lugs 4a and cut tongues 4b and plate springs 4c. The lugs 4a gear with holes in the yoke 1, the tongues 4b rest against the yoke 1 and the plate springs 4c having the form of a pressure clamp with their tip against the plane 3a' cut obliquely on the flange 3b, the frame 3 thereby being held. By means of a simple tool 5 which is inserted along the plane 3f the plate'spring 4c can be pressed against the yoke 1 and the coil frame can be pushed out along the core 2 and can be detached.

In Fig. 3 the yoke 1 and an iron core 2 with the frame 3 and the armature 6 are shown. There is room for three relays with their armatures 6. A strip 8 made of a metal band with cut tongues 8b and a bent portion 8a for each relay is common to the armatures 6. The bent portions 8a each terminates in a hook, which is arranged perpendicularly to the plane and the longitudinal direction of the band. The relay armature 6 is an angle armature provided with a long and narrow cut 6b which encloses the hook 8a formed from the band, the `armature thereby being directed sideways. By means of a coil spring 7 the armature is attached to the hook 8a. The cut 6b has a constriction 6c which fits Well around the hook 8a, unnecessary play sideways being avoided. At rest the back part of the armature rests against the tongue 8b which by bending is used for determining the stroke of the armature.

In Fig. 4 the yoke 1 and three spring sets 10 are shown. The furthest one of said spring sets only is fully shown and the base plates 10a only of the other two are shown. The base plates of the spring sets 10 are somewhat broader than the plate 10b situated nearest to the base plate, which plate 10b is supposed to be made of an insulating material. The front tip of the base plate 10a is provided with a bent lip 10c which is arranged in a hole in the yoke 1. This hole is shown in Fig. 3 and is designated 1b. It is also used for the lugs 4a in Fig. 1.

Along the back bent part of the yoke there is a strip 11 made of a metal sheet with cut, springy tongues 11a which are bent over the bending of the yoke and passed through holes 1a in the yoke. The springy tongues 11 are on both sides provided with cams 11b which press the base plates 10a against the yoke. The srip 11 also has a nuinber of lugs 11e which clutch the back edge of the yo e.

At assembly all spring sets are first arranged in place with the lip 10c pressed down in the hole 1b. The tongues 11a are then inserted between the spring sets obliquely from above, so that the tips of the tongues are put through the holes la. Thereafter the metal sheet 11 is pressed against the bent part of the yoke, so that the lugs 11c clutch the back edge ofthe yoke.

What is claimed is:

,1. A multi-unit relay assembly comprising a common ferrous yoke having a plane front part and a plane back part forming a right angle with each other, a plurality of cores secured to said back part parallel to each other and said front part beneath the latter, a relay coil removably fitted upon each of said cores, a mounting ange secured to one end of each coil, each of said flanges abutting with one side against the back part of the yoke, and a sheet metal fastening piece common to all said cores and having protrusions engaging with said yoke for fastening the piece to the yoke, said piece having springy tongues bent out of the material of said piece, said tongues abutting against the opposite side of each of said mounting anges for holding the respective coil on the core and in a fixed position relative to the yoke.

2. A relay assembly according to claim l, wherein said protrusions are in the form of lugs extending from an edge of said sheet Ymetal piece and the front part of said yoke having holes engaged by said lugs.

3. A relay assembly according to claim 1 wherein said opposite side `of each of the mounting flanges -'includes a slanted Wall portion, the tip of 'each of `said tongues resting against the respective slanted wall portion.

4. A multi-unit relay assembly comprising a common ferrous yoke having a plane front part and a 4plane back part forming a right angle with each other, a plurality of cores secured to said back part parallel to each other and said front part beneath the latter, Van armature for coaction with each of said cores resting upon a front part edge opposite the back part at a right angle 4to said edge whereby the edge constitutes a fulcrum'for each of said armatures, and a sheet metal fastening piececommon to all of said armatures secured to the front part on the side thereof opposite said cores, said piece underlying the armatures, and a spring for each of said armatures, each of said springs being secured to the respective armature and said common piece for tilting said armatures about the respective fulcruminto a predetermined position of tilt relative to the cores.

5. A relay assembly according to claim 4 wherein each of said armatures has a slot longitudinal of the respective core and said fastening piece has a hook shaped protrusion, each of said protrusions lextending through a respective one of said slots, the respective -end of each of said springs being attached -to the respective protrusion.

6. A relay assembly according to claim 4 wherein said common fastening piece is formed with protrusions, one for each armature, each of said protrusions being engaged by the respective one of said armatures due to the spring action for controlling the extent of tilt of the respective armature about its fulcrum against the spring action by varying the height of the protrusionsrelative to the general plane of said piece.

7. A relay assembly according to claim '6 wherein said spring protrusions are in the form of -bendable tongues ent out of the material of said piece.

8. A multi-unit relay assembly comprising a common ferrous yoke having a plane front part and a plane back part forming a right angle with each other, a plurality of cores secured to said back part parallel to'each other and said front part beneath the latter, a plurality of contact spring assemblies one for each core, each of said assemblies being disposed upon the frontpart side opposite the cores, and a sheet metal fastening piece common to all of said Contact spring assemblies and secured upon said opposite side of the front part, said common piece having springy protrusions overlying a part of each of said assemblies for holding the same in position upon said front part.

9. A relay assembly according to claim 8 wherein each of said contact spring assemblies comprisesan insulation base upon which the contact springs of the assembly are mounted, said springy protrusions overlying the base of each assembly.

10. A relay assembly according to claim 8.wherein said front part has several openings therethrough and wherein lips on one edge of said common piece protrude through said openings, and an extension at another edge of said piece for clamping about an edge of the back part of the yoke whereby said piece is anchored to the yoke.

1l. A relay assembly according to claim 8 wherein said common fastening piece comprises a strip extending longitudinally of said front part resting there against, lugs transversely protruding from one longitudinal edge of said strip and clamping about one edge of said back part, and a plurality of springy tongues extending transversely from the opposite longitudinal edge of said strip alongside each of said contact spring assemblies, each of said tongues being formed with said protrusions overlying the contact assembly parts.

12. A multi-unit relay assembly comprising, in combination, a common ferrous yoke having a plane front part and a plane back part forming a right angle with each other, a plurality of cores secured to said back part parallel to each other and to said front part beneath the latter, a relay coil removably fitted upon each of said cores, a mounting liange secured to one end of each of said coils, each of said flanges abutting with one side against the back part of the yoke, a first sheet metal lfastening piece common to all said cores and having protrusions engaging with said yoke to fasten the piece to yoke, said piece having springy tongues abutting against the opposite side of each of said mounting flanges fo-r holding the respective coil on the core and in a fixed position relative to the yoke, an armature for coaction with each of said cores resting upon the front part edge 'opposite vthe back part at a right angle to the edge whereby said edge constitutes a fulcrum for each of the armatures, a second sheet metal fastening piece common to all said armatures secured to the front part upon the side thereof opposite said cores, said second piece under- .lying the armatures, a spring for each of said armatures, each of said springs being secured to the respective armatures and said common second piece for tilting said armatures about the respective fulcrum into a predetermined position of tilt relative to the cores, a plurality of contact spring assemblies one for each core, each of said spring Vassemblies being disposed upon the front part side opposite the cores, and a third sheet metal fastening piece common to all said contact spring assemblies and secured rupon said opposite side of the front part, said third fastening piece havingispringy protrusions overlying a part of each of said spring assemblies for holding said assemblies in position upon said front part. 

